Evidence in Sexual Offences Prosecutions: Proposals for Reform and the Scottish Experience

Join us for this event as part of our public consultation on the use of evidence in sexual offences prosecutions. 

Date and Time 

Monday 12 June 2023 

5pm – 6:30pm 

Location  

Halliday Room (room 325), The Law School, Stair Building, University of Glasgow 

The consultation event 

The Law Commission of England and Wales invites you to our consultation event, Evidence in Sexual Offences Prosecutions: Proposals for Reform and the Scottish Experience as part of our public consultation on the use of evidence in sexual offences prosecutions.   

The event will bring together academics and legal practitioners with an expertise and interest in sexual offences prosecutions and knowledge and/or experience of these issues in the Scottish context.  

We would like to hear attendees’ views and will assume that those attending have familiarised themselves with our summary consultation paper. The event will focus on the following three topics, on which we are particularly interested in responses from the Scottish perspective. 

1. The use of a presumption that judicial directions to counter myths and misconceptions will be given.  
2. The use of expert evidence to counter myths and misconceptions. 
3. The use of juryless trials. 

The Law Commission team will give a brief introduction to these topics in our consultation paper before handing over to attendees to share their views.  

Attendees are invited to join us for refreshments after the event.  

We would be pleased to hear in advance if there are any additional topics from our consultation paper which attendees wish to talk about, by email at the address below.  

Click here for the full agenda.

The review  

Following the Government’s end-to-end rape review, they asked the Law Commission to examine the trial process and to consider the law, guidance and practice relating to the use of evidence in prosecutions of sexual offences. We are considering the need for reform in order to improve understanding of consent and sexual harm and the treatment of victims, while ensuring that defendants receive a fair trial. 

In our consultation paper, we set out a series of questions and provisional proposals for reform of sexual offences prosecutions. Our consultation period opened on 23 May, and concludes on 29 September 2023.

The full consultation paper, along with further details about our project, including how to provide a written consultation response, are available on our on our project page.

To book your place at our consultation event, please email evidence.rasso@lawcommission.gov.uk.